Indian Angel Network Announces Strategic Partnership with

Indian Angel Network Announces Strategic Partnership with Worldwide Academia Industry Network (WAIN) New Delhi, December 6, 2017: Indian Angel Network, India’s first and arguably the World’s largest angel network, today announces a strategic partnership with Worldwide Academia Industry Network (WAIN). The partnership will provide IAN access to path breaking Intellectual Property & Innovation, further strengthening IAN’s continuous efforts in nurturing Innovation and supporting entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country. WAIN, officially launched in 2016, is an initiative launched by CL Educate Limited, Asia’s largest educorporate to bring together a host of stake holders who play a crucial role in creating a fertile innovation ecosystem in the country. The objective of WAIN Platform is to provide interlinked opportunities to both Academic Institutions and Companies to work together in areas such as 'Research and Innovation', 'Academia-Industry Development Programs' and create an innovation ecosystem for growth in India. The platform provides opportunities of corporate sponsored open research in Indian institutes, corporate funded research scholarships, for spotting applicationoriented skilled talent and promoting transferable knowledge from academia to industry. “It gives us immense pleasure to be partnering with the veterans of the ‘Start-up’ ecosystem in India. We stand to gain from the immense industry & corporate experience of IAN’s over 460 investors. In addition, I feel we will be able to encourage budding innovators to scale up by showing them the path to funding in the future through the IAN platform” Said Satya Narayanan, Founder & Chairman, CL Educate This partnership will enable Indian Angel Network to leverage access to young researchers, intellectual property and innovation talent through the WAIN ecosystem. Furthermore, IAN will bring in its own expertise in providing experienced mentorship and will support WAIN in its drive to create the innovation entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country. Commenting on the partnership, Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder, IAN said, “Innovation is bubbling at all levels - right from the student level. Today, India’s university ecosystem is starting to breed path breaking solutions for not only India but for other parts of the world as well. With its partnership with WAIN, IAN hopes to catalyse innovative start-ups from the universities providing them money, mentoring and market access.” Wainconnect.com already has over 13,000 innovators including students and faculty working on over 3400 innovations. These come from top government IIT, IIIT, IIM, as well as leading private universities with significant corporate support through CSR and research budgets. About 25 out of these innovations are at the fundraising stage. Wainconnect aims to enable 1million innovators by 2020. About Indian Angel Network Indian Angel Network is India’s first and world’s largest business angel network with over to 460 members across the world, comprising the who’s who of successful entrepreneurs and dynamic CEOs. With investors from 11 countries, IAN’s presence spans 7 locations, which includes cities in India, Israel and UK. The network is sector agnostic and has funded start-ups across 17 sectors in India and 6 other countries growing global footprint companies. With an excellent track record, IAN has been giving excellent cash exits year-on-year to its investor-members. Some of its marquee

investee companies include, WebEngage, Druva, Box8, Sapience Analytics, WOW Momos, Consure amongst many others Indian Angel Network has been a pioneer in the seed and early stage investing. It has now launched a ₹450 Crores VC fund making it now, the single largest platform for seed & early stage, where entrepreneurs can raise from Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs. 50 crores (with co investors), thus making IAN the platform of choice!